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MainStage

MainStage 2 lets you take your Mac to the stage with a full-screen live interface, unmatched hardware control, and a massive collection of plug-ins and sounds.

The ultimate live rig• Perform live with 120 instrument and effect plug-ins or work with your Audio Units plug-ins• Import settings from Logic Pro and GarageBand to bring your studio sound to the stage• Combine instruments and live audio, such as keyboard and vocals, in a single patch• Seamlessly switch between patches without stopping sound output or cutting off held notes• Design rich keyboard patches using splits and layers

Hardware control• Connect your favorite hardware and use it to play and control your plug-ins • Use any USB and MIDI-equipped controllers like keyboards, foot pedals, and drum pads• Instantly set up a large variety of hardware using automatic device recognition• Quickly assign hardware knobs, buttons, and faders to onscreen controls

A new view of the stage• See only what you need during your performance using a customizable, full-screen live interface• Easily see your Mac screen from a distance using a high-contrast, full-screen performance view• Get started quickly using prebuilt templates that cover typical live performance setups

A smarter, faster, more efficient use of your Mac• Perform with confidence using a rock-solid tool built for demanding live performances• Use the processing power of multiple cores on your Mac• Go to your gig with a massive collection of even the most memory-hungry instruments thanks to 64-bit support

Release Notes

• Addresses a stability issue that could cause MainStage to quit unexpectedly on OS X 10.7.4• Fixes an issue that prevented the I/O plug-in from outputting audio• Resolves an issue related to the download and installation of basic and additional content

Screenshots Mac OSX :

Category

Comments and Ratings for MainStage

AAA+MAZING!!!! (2.2.2)3/24/2013 12:04:00 AM5/5 By 4oreverOnFireI am Currently using Garageband 9 can't upgrade to Logic Pro just yet but if your on a budget and needing to break out far beyond what Garagebands Instruments loops and effects have to offer this is a Gold Mine! As soon as I opened it up and Started using It was so Refreshing for my creativity and from the stale robot effects and loops GB comes with. I Highly Reccommend this to Anyone on a budget needing a lot more tools and Options to take your Songwriting and Recording to Another Level! This is It! Thank You Apple!

Absolutely awful software (2.2.2)3/16/2013 4:57:00 AM1/5 By Ground Floor StudiosHi. Long-time Apple/Mac user here. I actually owned one of the first-generation Macs in the 1980's (you know, the beige box with the tiny little screen). Anyway, I'm an amateur musician, and I've been recording songs in Garage Band with great success. I downloaded Main Stage 2 today hoping to find some new sounds for my midi keyboard. A couple hours and $29 later, I had a software program that was hands-down the worst application I've ever tried to use on a Mac. Half the sounds (and, in particular, the ones I was looking for) were missing, and it took me at leat an hour to even get any sound at all out of my midi keyboard. This is totally unacceptable for a company that prides itself on being able to "plug and play". I was considering taking the plunge for Logic Pro 9, but now I'm not so sure. My confidence in Apple's digital audio software is < 0. Save your money and buy something else. Do NOT try to make this train wreck work.

DO NOT purchase if you own Logic 8. (2.2.2)3/8/2013 8:50:00 PM1/5 By blendermagMainstage 2 has given me nothing but problems with Logic 8 as soon as I installed it. I've since uninstalled it and this has not helped. I sent Apple a letter and received no reply. The lack of reply was the nail in the coffin for me. Farewell, Apple—after all the money and support I've given you over the years, I expect more in return.

Bought for jam packs and LOVE IT! (2.2.2)3/5/2013 1:33:00 AM4/5 By MonsterboysdadThis product is so full of features it may take me years to learn how to use all these great features.

Very Buggy (2.2.2)2/17/2013 11:47:00 PM3/5 By WardMachineIf it weren't for MainStage being so buggy, it'd get five stars. I was an existing user, bought a new computer, and migrated over from the old one…since then, nothing has run as it should. I bought the $30 update, reinstalled every sound, and still it says my EXS24 plugin is missing. Some sounds crash MainStage upon loading. This is very frustrating, because when it works, it's a great program for live use. Not sure what to do at this point.

App doesn't work just crashes . (2.2.2)2/14/2013 5:24:00 AM1/5 By Q3591Fix this app then you will get 5 stars took my money and the app doesn't do anything but crash what a shame on you apple. Do not buy this app buyer beware.

This is one of the best investments for my music (2.2.2)2/8/2013 7:03:00 PM5/5 By adelphipastorThis app is a must have.
I had Logic and this is as close as you can get to Logic.
Use this with soundflower and Ableton and you be jammin.
Go Apple you guys rock with this app.

A horrible way to sell such a large program (2.2.2)1/27/2013 12:13:00 AM1/5 By xerxes1492I'm one of the people who bought this solely for the jam packs. it's great that hundreds of dollars of samples loops and instruments are being sold for 30 bucks, but I'd rather pay extra for a boxed version. Why? Apple, have you considered the cost of bandwidth needed to download all these gigs of content, both on your end as well as ours? This is a consumer way to sell a professional product. Everytime I accidentally close the clamshell of my laptop, I have to start a new download because your software engineers did not think to save the download to the hard drive. It is taking forever for me to be able to use this application and I'm extremely disappointed with this software.

Great, but needs Export to Logic function. (2.2.2)1/20/2013 2:23:00 AM4/5 By Versifier7On its own, Mainstage is a tremendous value, and very intuitive. However, it is sorely in need of a way to export patches for use in Logic. I really cannot believe there is no way to do this other than to painstakingly recreate each instrument parameter by parameter like it's 1975. Please consider this functionality for a future update.

Amazing (2.2.2)1/12/2013 8:07:00 PM5/5 By Taylor-Made MinistriesI play live every week and was looking for something that would allow me to play backing tracks, as well as play my VSTs. My two options were Mainstage 2 and Ableton Live. I was really leaning towards Ableton but the price point of Mainstage 2 made it hard to not give it a try first.
I must say that I have been quite surprised at how Mainstage 2 has held up. I am constantly making my Concerts more and more complex, and yet Mainstage 2 has kept up every step of the way. I've been keeping my hopes down because I've been expecting something not to work properly. However, for each roadblock I come to, Mainstage 2 answers every question with flying colors.
The ability to customize my layout to fit my needs specifically has alone been worth the price of admission. The ability to seamlessly move between patches and backing tracks is worth double the price of admission. Overall this is an amazing piece of softwre that I will use more often.
Update
So I wrote my initial review on Dec. 31, 2012. It's January 12th and I must say this software has been ridiculously amazing. It does take a minute to wrap your head around a few of the initial setup idiosyncrasies. But once you do, the sky is the limit. I am not sure what this piece of software cannot do and I feel as if I'm putting it through the ringer. I am running 4 to 5 songs per set with 4 to 7 backing tracks for each song. I will also begin performing live using virtual instruments (VST's) through Mainstage via midi , instead of the stocks sounds from my keyboard. And through this all, Mainstage 2 has performed amazingly!
I don't write reviews for products, but this one takes the cake. I can't begin to explain how this software has changed my musicianship and the overall product that I bring to the table. Simply amazing!